Dean Ethridge

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Texas Tech University

Fabrics made from weaving and knitting yarns constitute the largest part of textiles manufactured around the world, but various nonwoven technologies constitute the fastest growing sector of textiles. This study evaluates the potential for cotton fiber in nonwoven textiles and analyzes the issues of cotton use in nonwovens, with a focus on potentia...

The Fibrogram method for testing the fiber length distribution on cotton fibers offers a very simple and quick method to prepare a cotton fiber bundle. Therefore this method was selected in order to simplify the sample preparation for the Fibrotest. The optical system is similar to the one of a digital Fibrograph. The only difference is that a lase...

Analysis of the Texas Plains commercial cotton quality trends, based on classing office data, shows significant improvements over the past 7 years. Spinning tests conducted in 2005 and 2006 on commercial bales from the emerging Texas Plains "high-quality" fiber indicate that cottons from the Texas Plains compare favorably to SJV cottons of similar...

In this study, we investigated the relationships between the thermal properties versus maturity and fineness (H) of 80 selected cotton fiber samples. The instrument measurements for maturity and H were (1) micronaire as determined with a high-volume instrument, (2) maturity ratio and H as determined with an advanced fiber information system, and (3...

Compact or condensed spinning technology is widely considered as the new benchmark for staple yarn quality. The enhanced structure of compact yarn typically results in a lower hairiness and improved mechanical properties. The present study examines these two key benefits of compact technology when applied to short-to-medium staple cotton. The main...

Harmonization means that high volume instruments (HVIs) measurements at diverse locations agree with one another within statistically known and acceptable probabilities. Some components that make up an adequate system of process and quality controls for an HVI cotton classification system includes machine error must be minimized by well engineered...

Texas Tech University's International Textile Center (ITC), situated in Lubbock, Texas, is progressing with its mission to be a world leader in providing research, education, and technology transfer related to fiber properties and textile manufacturing, in order to increase the market value and use of natural fibers. The ITC exists within the Colle...

Seventeen cotton samples with small-to-moderate stickiness contamination were created by mixing sticky cottons with non-sticky cottons, and then processed through ring and rotor spinning. Trehalulose contents ranged from 0.002% to 0.034% of the fiber weight (corresponding to 1.8% and 16.8% of the total sugars), while melezitose contents ranged from...

Cotton spinnability, or spinning potential, is traditionally determined based on the number of ends-down occurring under controlled spinning conditions. No yarn quality considerations are included in this spinning potential concept, which is representative only of the performance of a given fiber during spinning. Using measurements of thin places i...

The narrow germplasm base of the upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), grown on the Texas high plains historically, has limited improvement of fiber quality. Chemical mutagenesis and subsequent selection have helped the development of lines with improved fiber quality in cultivars adapted to this region. This study was conducted to determine the i...

China's announcement in 2002, that from April 2003 a nep would be included in its national standard for imported cotton, has brought the focus of the global cotton industry on neps. Though China has let the deadline to lapse, it has not prevented the market from discriminating against them. Since these properties are present in cottons from a parti...

Before a quality-related issue can be addressed from a causal and predictive perspective, there has to be a reliable and repeatable system designed to detect and quantify the problem. Current fiber testing was not designed to measure or detect the presence of dead or immature fibers in the small quantities that have been determined to be detri- men...

A general introduction on new spinning technologies introduced in recent decades to compete with conventional ring spinning focuses on the latest innovation called compact spinning. During the downstream processing phases it has been shown to improve yarn quality effectively and enhance its performance, and several authorities are quoted to substan...

This paper reports results obtained from spinning various Texas upland cottons, along with some other representative U.S. upland cottons, on both conventional and compact spinning systems. The spinning machines used were the Suessen Fiomax 1000 (for conventional ring spinning) and the Suessen EliTe 1000 (the Fiomax 1000 fitted with the compacting s...

The prediction of yarn quality based on the technological characteristics of the raw material has been improved by the use of the AFIS. Unfortunately, information about distributions of fiber properties that are measured by the AFIS is generally not used. The studies carried out at the ITC show that the AFIS length distribution is variety related....

The AFIS® instrument has proven to be an indispensable tool for fiber research, testing and evaluation, and process control in textile manufacturing. To realize its potential, however, it must be carefully maintained and monitored to ensure that measurements are accurate and repeatable. For example, experience has shown that contamination caused by...

This article reports on three experiments carried out to investigate the usefulness of the distribution information conducted by the Uster AFIS (Advanced Fiber Information System), each one focused on the impact of fiber length distribution on yarn quality. The experiments used fourteen different types of cotton, and compared the result of the Uste...

For several years the International Textile Center (ITC) has been deeply involved in a collaborative research effort aimed at developing reliable measurements for stickiness of cotton fibers. Results of work done in 1998 are very encouraging; they indicate that fast and repeatable measurements of stickiness are feasible. Among the remaining issues...

The cotton boll weevil Anthonomus grandis (Boheman) has caused significant economic losses to Texas High Plains cotton Gossypium hirsutum (L.) since population densities drastically increased over the last four years. During 1997 and 1998, a replicated field study was conducted at Lubbock, TX to: 1) determine if 28 cotton varieties adapted to Texas...

The International Textile Center has increasingly used Uster's AFIS (Advanced Fiber Information System) to increase the range and precision of fibre property measurements. The use of AFIS to evaluate short fibre content, predict fibre waste and yarn quality is assessed. The application also proves useful in selecting superior cotton varieties. AFIS...

This report on methods of measuring cotton contamination is meant to inform the reader about the measurement technology and the commercial instruments that employ such technology. Although much good progress has been made, much more is needed. It is hoped that this paper will stimulate more constructive, scientific dialogue between the global secto...

This is a progress report on a comparative analysis of the fineness/maturity measurement in the latest generation AFIS machine at the International Textile Center. Comparisons are made with other measurements that also capture information related to fineness and maturity. These are the following: HVI micronaqire; FMT micronaire; FMT maturity ratio;...

The objectives of the project are: Determine the statistical variability of stickiness in bales contaminated by aphids and by white files to establish an adeuqate bale sampling procedure for estimating the degree of stickiness; Determine threshold levels of stickness to provide authoritative guidance in marketing cotton and in managing the cotton i...

The International Textile Center of the Texas Tech. University has been researching the potential for making high-quality yarns and fabrics with SSW/poly blends on the rotor spinning system. This article provides a short report on preliminary results obtained in producing 8 Ne rotor yarns. Yarn manufacturing costs could be greatly reduced compared...

A test for determining spinning potential of cotton fibers on the rotor spinning system is proposed. It is based on the minimum twist required to rotor spin a fixed yarn size. Using known mathematical relationships, inherent in the physics of yarn formation, the minimum twist results are transformed into the theoretically finest yarn count that may...

Relationships among alternative cotton fiber property measurements are examined, their usefulness is evaluated, and suggestions for improving them are offered. Needed changes include wider strength ranges in calibration cottons, an adequate elongation measurement, more information on length distributions, an adequate high-volume trash measurement,...

Chemical mutagenesis of Arabidopsis has had a tremendous impact on the application of molecular biology to higher plants. Our basic hypothesis is that chemical mutagenesis and subsequent selection can have an equivalent impact on developing new genes that enhance the fiber and other economically important traits of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). T...

Identifying and understanding sticky cotton has been the focus of extensive efforts in research, which has been directed primarily toward prevention, measurement, and treatment. There is no information about the effects of sticky cotton on processing costs. A survey of textile mills was used to collect information on processing adjustments and cost...

Three major trends impacting the textile manufacturing industry, from the global and the U.S. standpoints, are considered: (1) globalization and the information revolution, (2) trade policies and programs, and (3) competition within and between fiber groups. Effects on the textile industry are used to draw implications for the U.S. cotton sector th...

This evaluation of a state-of-the-art ring spinning machine versus a ring spinning machine with 40-year-old technology reveals highly significant and beneficial effects of the new technology on yarn quality. Furthermore, there are notable cotton-machinery interactions, meaning that different cottons may perform differently as the new spinning techn...

This paper summarises the major results obtained by the International Textile Center (ITC) on the measurement of stickiness in cotton fibres. This research has been carried out in partnership with Cotton Inc., and the Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpment and with support from the Arizona Cotton research...

Models for predicting ring or rotor yarn hairiness are built using a back-propagation neural network algorithm. These models are based on fiber property input measured by three different systems, hvi, afis, and fmt. We compare the prediction results from the different models, which reveal that yarn hairiness measurements from hvi data are superior...

The use of fibre property measurements in statistically based quality control programmes for yarn manufacturing has been based primarily on the availability of high volume instrument (HVI) data. This is based on bundles of fibres and is therefore sensitive to sample preparation and technique - using HVI at any stage beyond the raw fibre state raise...

This paper presents a neural network model for predicting the yarn irregularity, based on inputs of fiber property measurements with the AFIS instrument. By using a back-propagation neural network algorithm, alternative models were fitted and compared. The resulting predictions of yarn irregularity are superior to these obtained by using convention...

This paper focuses on the treatment of sticky cotton at the textile mill. Severe stickiness is a recurring problem with organically grown cotton. A combination of overspray and blending has been developed in an attempt to alleviate such severe stickiness. A prescriptive framework for managing sticky cotton has been worked out and a commercialised v...

The destructive force necessary to reduce cotton fabric back to separate fibres for recycling means the quality of the reclaimed fibres is greatly harmed, and the distributional aspects of fibre properties is greatly altered from the raw state. It is suggested that for yarn quality control with blends of raw and reclaimed cotton fibres, the HVI and...

Using samples from 96 bales of Texas High Plains cotton, multiple regression techniques were used to select the "best" functional expression for the impacts of High-Volume-Instrument-measured fiber properties on the strength of open-end spun yarns. Results indicate that the most important fiber properties are strength, fineness, and length uniformi...

Under yield and utilization uncertainties, optimum planted acreage may be estimated using the concept of disequilibrium costs—those costs incurred when production is not matched with utilization. A model to minimize expected disequilibrium cost is formulated and applied to peanut seed acreage in Georgia. Since larger disequilibrium costs result fro...

Previous analysis on annual wholesale marketing margins for cottonseed has indicated a need to establish the structure of short-period time lags between prices for cottonseed products and resulting farm prices for the gin-run seed. In particular, this would help assess large wholesale margins since the beginning of the 1972 crop year, when cottonse...

Economic events since the 1972–73 crop year have generated much interest in cottonseed prices. Cotton producers, observing a doubling of wholesale prices of cottonseed oil and meal during the last three years, have wondered whether they are getting an equitable share of this increased income. They have largely stopped thinking of their cottonseed a...

This study developed six response functions relating cotton output in terms of lint yield, seed yield, turnout, and quality attributes to input use choices and management practices employed in the production process. The estimated response functions allowed for examinat ion of the effect of varying factors of production within the control of produc...

The current United States and world situations in respect of the production, stocks, and consumption of cotton fibres are reviewed and relevant data are cited. International trade is also discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Agricultural Economics)--University of California, Berkeley, Dec. 1971. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 252-258).